diff --git a/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.cpp b/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.cpp
index 9cabf925b..e799931c7 100644
--- a/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.cpp
+++ b/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
   along with OPM.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
  */
 
+#include <opm/common/ErrorMacros.hpp>
 #include <opm/common/util/numeric/cmp.hpp>
 #include <opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp>
 
@@ -75,6 +76,39 @@ namespace Opm {
     }
 
 
+    void SimulationDataContainer::setCellDataComponent( const std::string& key ,
+                                                        size_t component ,
+                                                        const std::vector<int>& cells ,
+                                                        const std::vector<double>& values) {
+        auto& data = getCellData( key );
+        if (component >= m_num_phases)
+            OPM_THROW(std::invalid_argument, "The component number: " << component << " is invalid");
+
+
+        if (cells.size() != values.size())
+            OPM_THROW(std::invalid_argument, "size mismatch between cells and values");
+
+        // This is currently quite broken; the setCellDataComponent
+        // method assumes that the number of components in the field
+        // we are currently focusing on has num_phases components in
+        // total. This restriction should be lifted by allowing a per
+        // field number of components.
+
+        if (data.size() != m_num_phases * m_num_cells)
+            OPM_THROW(std::invalid_argument , "Can currently only be used on fields with num_components == num_phases (i.e. saturation...) ");
+
+
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < cells.size(); i++) {
+            if (cells[i] < m_num_cells) {
+                auto field_index = cells[i] * m_num_phases + component;
+                data[field_index] = values[i];
+            } else {
+                OPM_THROW(std::invalid_argument , "The cell number: " << cells[i] << " is invalid.");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+
     bool SimulationDataContainer::hasFaceData( const std::string& name ) const {
         return ( m_face_data.find( name ) == m_face_data.end() ? false : true );
     }
diff --git a/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp b/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp
index 51f1fb396..e89965eb3 100644
--- a/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp
+++ b/opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ namespace Opm {
         bool equal(const SimulationDataContainer& other) const;
 
 
+        /// Will set the values of component nr @component in the
+        /// field @key. All the cells in @cells will be set to the
+        /// values in @values.
+        void setCellDataComponent( const std::string& key , size_t component , const std::vector<int>& cells , const std::vector<double>& values);
+
         /* Old deprecated */
         std::vector<double>& pressure    ();
         std::vector<double>& temperature ();
diff --git a/tests/test_SimulationDataContainer.cpp b/tests/test_SimulationDataContainer.cpp
index 3aaf803b1..f07c2ff75 100644
--- a/tests/test_SimulationDataContainer.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_SimulationDataContainer.cpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include <boost/test/unit_test.hpp>
 
 #include <stdexcept>
-
+#include <iostream>
 #include <opm/common/data/SimulationDataContainer.hpp>
 
 using namespace Opm;
@@ -173,3 +173,33 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(Test_Equal) {
     }
 }
 
+
+
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(TestSetComponent) {
+
+    SimulationDataContainer container(100 , 10 , 2);
+    container.registerCellData("FIELDX" , 2 , 123 );
+    std::vector<int> cells = { 1,2,3};
+    std::vector<int> cells2 = { 1,2,3,4};
+    std::vector<int> cells3 = { 1,2,100};
+    std::vector<double> values0 = {20,30,40};
+    std::vector<double> values1 = {2,3,4};
+
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDY" , 0 , cells , values0 ) , std::invalid_argument );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDX" , 2 , cells , values0 ) , std::invalid_argument );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDX" , 0 , cells2 , values0 ) , std::invalid_argument );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDX" , 0 , cells3 , values0 ) , std::invalid_argument );
+
+    container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDX" , 0 , cells , values0 );
+    container.setCellDataComponent( "FIELDX" , 1 , cells , values1 );
+    const auto& data = container.getCellData( "FIELDX" );
+
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[1*2 + 1] , 2 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[2*2 + 1] , 3 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[3*2 + 1] , 4 );
+
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[1*2] , 20 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[2*2] , 30 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( data[3*2] , 40 );
+
+}